THE first passengers were carried by class 717 EMUs operating under ETCS Level 2 signalling on the Northern City Line on November 27, marking a major milestone in Britain’s £1.4bn East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) to install ETCS on the East Coast Main Line (ECML).

A total of 12 round trips were made in passenger service on the Northern City Line, a 5.4km branch of the ECML running from Finsbury Park to Moorgate in the City of London. The line is operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) using a fleet of 25 class 717 EMUs supplied by Siemens Mobility.

Siemens is also supplying the signalling equipment for ECDP and has been working with infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) and GTR to install ETCS Level 2 on the Northern City Line since 2020. Until now, the new digital signalling system has been tested outside of operating hours.

The legacy lineside signalling on the Northern City Line will remain in use until all 250 GTR drivers allocated to the route have completed ETCS training. GTR points out that having the two signalling systems operating in parallel will enable qualified drivers to maintain their ETCS competency while the training programme continues.

The next stage of ECDP, which will see ETCS Level 2 installed on the southern 123km section of the ECML between London and Peterborough, covers the section between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin. The first trains are expected to operate here under ETCS by the end of 2025.

“Getting to this point has been a monumental cross-industry effort,” says Mr Ollie Turner, head of ERTMS at GTR. “It will pave the way for the wider rollout of digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line, promising better reliability for everybody.”

“On the Northern City Line, our cross-industry partnership has learned by doing, and the experience we’ve all gained will help us progress digital transformation on the main line and beyond,” says Mr Ed Akers, ECDP principal programme sponsor at NR.

“This is a major milestone for the rail industry and I’m proud that Siemens Mobility has brought the technology and experience to help deliver in collaboration with programme partners,” says Mr Ben Lane, ECDP project director at Siemens Mobility.

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